another new boy

[64Guitars]

The portability of the MBR is the key. The fact that you can literarly put it in your pocket and with a couple of extra batteries can have it with you all day, do vocal additions, do some mixing, program the drums, do some mastering, etc, means you're in for a flying start in multitrack recording.

That's true for a lot of people and it's probably the main reason that the Micro BR is so popular. However, there's another point of view that's worth mentioning. For someone like me who does not sing and has no need or desire to carry a recorder around with me, the small size of the Micro BR is actually a disadvantage. I'm sure it would go crashing to the floor every time I swivel my chair, causing the guitar cord to yank the Micro BR off of whatever surface it's resting on. And the tiny buttons and display would drive me crazy. I want a recorder that's big enough to stay put and has a good selection of large, usable controls and a large display. Also, the Micro BR has no fader controls. That's an important consideration for me - the more faders, the better.

And lets not forget the 1GB memory card limit of the Micro BR. For years, we've hoped that Roland would offer a firmware update to remedy that issue, but it now seems obvious that they have no intention of doing so. For that reason especially, I cannot recommend the Micro BR. The BR-800 is the only BR that supports memory cards larger than 1GB. So, at this time, it's the only BR I'd recommend.

The Micro BR is a great recorder for its size and price but it's not for everyone. And the 1GB memory card limit makes the entire BR line except for the BR-800 very out-of-date, in my opinion.

[Geir]

thank you 64G, I get kinda religous when start talking 'bout the mbr.

[64Guitars]

thank you 64G, I get kinda religous when start talking 'bout the mbr.

That's quite understandable. It's a great little recorder which has a huge following. Although I haven't seen any sales figures, I'm sure it's easily the most popular recorder Boss has ever made. Perhaps even the most popular recorder of any manufacturer. But we all have different needs, so I just wanted to point out that what most users see as the Micro BR's biggest advantage (its small size and extreme portability) is actually a big disadvantage to a few of us who have different needs. I have no doubt that I'm very much in the minority with my views on the Micro BR's size, but I'm sure I'm not alone. I don't mean to dis the Micro BR or its users, but I think its important to mention both sides of the size issue so that prospective buyers can decide what's important to them and make the best choice for their own needs.

[Tony W]

I'm still with 64 guitars. I'm one of the guys who can't resist a good deal, and as a result, I've had 3 models, The Micro, the 1600 and the 800.

Obviously we all agree that the portability of the micro can't be beat. We can all agree that the enhanced functionality of the 800 can't be beat (by any boss model).

I still think the 800 is highly portable. Due to job requirements, I have a laptop with me 24/7, and the 800 fits very nicely in the bag. Granted, it doesn't fit in a pocket but it still fits my lifestyle just fine.

As 64 mentioned, the faders have become very important to me. I have significant hearing loss in one ear, for mixing purposes, I have to get fairly creative. being able to see multiple tracks visually and efficiently really helps when mixing.

I've installed a 32gb SD card in the 800. I do a lot of backer work, mainly because I'm not very good at composing my own stuff yet. I keep a bunch of backers on standby, ready to go at any time on the BR. That was virtually impossible with the 1gb limit (unless of course they were in MP3 format on the card).

Other cool things -

more input options
Powers from battery, PSA adapter and most importantly USB (awesome feature)
better effects
intuitive interface
input sens knobs
record level knob
easy song creation

The thing that I wasn't happy with - Lack of MP3 support. I thought that would be a standard feature, especially if the Boss Engineers ever took a look at this little community.
 

[Saijinn Maas]

Welcome!

I think I'll add my 2 cents in here too.

I started with the MBR, moved on to the br-600, and recently upgraded to the br-800. The 800 has been the best of all of them and I couldn't be happier.

[Burtog]

Thanks to all for the quick feedback!

My idea at present is to set up a mini studio in my loft (attic), from the pointers on this subject so far I am leaning heavily towards the BR 800, so if I get my pennies together I'm on my way.

Does anyone know if the BR800 software is compatible with windows XP?
I have an older PC (not currently in use) with XP, not sure if I should use that for the software or just put it onto my current laptop(vista)? Is the Sonar LE a big programme?

Thanks again!

[Geir]

Thanks to all for the quick feedback!

My idea at present is to set up a mini studio in my loft (attic), from the pointers on this subject so far I am leaning heavily towards the BR 800, so if I get my pennies together I'm on my way.

Does anyone know if the BR800 software is compatible with windows XP?
I have an older PC (not currently in use) with XP, not sure if I should use that for the software or just put it onto my current laptop(vista)? Is the Sonar LE a big programme?

Thanks again!

I have XP on the computer I use with the BR800. No problems at all so far. Sonar LE is not a heavey application compared to some other DAWs. I do recommend upgrading the  firmware on the BR800 when(if) you get it tho. The 1.04  version solves some connection issues. I had no problem other than that the connection of the BR took at least a minute, but others have reported problem getting connected at all. The problem dissapeared after I upgraded.

And for your use (a mini studio) the BR800 is a safe bet !!!

[Burtog]

Got a BR800 at last!

Thanks for everyones advice, now need to lock myself away for a while to figure it all out!!

[Oldrottenhead]

i  am very jealous look forward to hearing what you do with it.

[Bluesberry]

Good stuff....welcome to the wonderful world of home recording Burt...I look forward to your first musical posting.  Keep it real simple for the first one.  Are you ready for hours and hours of fun...thats whats coming for you now